MADISON, Wis. — The spouse of a Wisconsin kayaker who staged his own drowning to abandon his family and travel to Eastern Europe has initiated divorce proceedings.
Emily Borgwardt submitted a petition for legal separation in the Dodge County Circuit Court, stating that her marriage to Ryan Borgwardt is “irretrievably broken.” While the petition does not provide further details, it clearly indicates the end of their relationship.
When contacted for comment, an employee at Emily Borgwardt’s attorney’s office, Andrew Griggs, declined to provide any information. Currently, there is no legal representation listed for Ryan Borgwardt in the court records.
The separation filing reveals that the couple has been married for 22 years and that Emily is seeking sole custody of their three teenage children. The document notes that Emily is employed at a private school in Watertown, while Ryan is reportedly self-employed and residing at an undisclosed location.
A hearing regarding the separation has been scheduled for April.
Previously, Ryan Borgwardt, aged 45, was reported missing on August 12, following his announcement to his wife the prior evening that he intended to go kayaking on Green Lake, located approximately 100 miles northwest of Milwaukee. His absence was initially treated as a drowning incident, but further investigation, including the discovery that he obtained a new passport three months before his disappearance, led authorities to suspect he had staged his death in order to join a woman in Uzbekistan, a country in Central Asia.
Authorities reestablished contact with Borgwardt in November and persuaded him to return to the U.S. He surrendered at the Green Lake County sheriff’s office on Tuesday and faced charges on Wednesday for obstructing the search for his presumed body.
The criminal complaint details that he traveled 50 miles from his family’s residence in Watertown to Green Lake on August 11. On the same night, he reportedly capsized his kayak, paddled back to shore using an inflatable raft he had brought, discarded his identification into the lake, and then rode 70 miles to Madison on an electric bicycle. From there, he took a bus to Toronto, then flew to Paris, and subsequently traveled to an undisclosed destination in Eastern Europe.
According to his statements to investigators, he was picked up by a woman upon arrival, and they spent several days in a hotel before he established residency in Georgia, as noted in the complaint.
Borgwardt was released on a signature bond from custody in Green Lake County on Wednesday. During his court appearance, he informed the judge that he would be representing himself as he possessed only $20. The judge mentioned the possibility of appointing him an attorney, though records do not reflect that arrangement as of Thursday.
